When the weather outside gets chilly, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a soup pot bubbling in the kitchen, as the mouth-watering scent fills your home. While chicken noodle and tomato soup are fine as standbys, why not try something that will impress your guests and challenge your creativity in the kitchen?
Piping hot soups are popular world-over. We’ve rounded up some of the best-looking soup recipes from around the globe to help you make soup night the culinary highlight of your week!
Avgolemono is the ultimate Greek comfort food—a chicken soup thickened with eggs and rice, with zesty lemon juice bringing ultimate flavor. “Avgolemono” literally translates to “Egg-lemon”. Think egg drop soup with lemony chicken inside. This version comes from Closet Cooking and is easy to make with just eight ingredients. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll be sitting down to a piping hot bowl of Greek goodness.
The Mexican spin on chicken soup, caldo de pollo calls for a long list of flavorful ingredients, like jalapeno, cilantro, and avocado. Whether you’ve got cold weather sniffles or are just in the mood for some kick, this recipe from Girl and the Kitchen will deliver deliciousness in spades!
Yukgaejang is a traditional Korean soup made with beef and vegetables. This version from Korean Bapsang is made with brisket, which thickens and flavors up the broth. It’s spicy, so perfect for a cold night in.
Get the recipe.
Molokhia is a Middle Eastern soup most popular in Egypt and Lebanon. While it has yet to catch on in the west, it’s certainly not due to the lack of flavor! The prime ingredient, molokhia (also known as jute leaves) isn’t normally found in supermarkets, but you can get it from specialty and ethnic stores. Like most molokhia recipes, this version from My Halal Kitchen is loaded with cumin and cloves, to give it a distinctive Middle Eastern flavor. Serve it over rice or with crusty bread.
Loaded with pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut, kapusta is a traditional Polish cabbage soup. Martha at a Family Feast says her Polish grandmother would serve this up frequently with buttered rye bread, but you could also try this with brown rice.
Brazilian cuisine is known for loading up on meat, and this recipe for the traditional black bean soup known as feijoada is no different. It has bacon, pork shoulder, beef ribs, and ham hock for flavor. If you’re looking for a hearty meal to fill the hungriest of bellies, this one from Panning the Globe will most definitely hit the spot!
If you love chicken soup, but are in the mood for something a bit different, Soto Ayam is a great option. Yellow and spicy, this Indonesian dish is also popular in Singapore and Malaysia—and for good reason! This recipe calls for several aromatics, like coriander, turmeric, and ginger.
Kale is practically the mascot of superfoods, but few ever consider adding it to their soups. In this traditional Portuguese recipe, caldo verde, kale takes center stage. It’s flavored with chorizo, or other similar sausage, and makes a hearty meal when served with bread. Check out the recipe from Leite’s Culinaria.
Libyan cuisine is no stranger to spice, as this traditional soup recipe attests. Combining chicken and macaroni with turmeric, thyme, red chili, and more, this recipe from the Big Sweet Tooth is big on flavor and very easy to prepare. It’s sure to delight everyone at your table.
Shorba Addis is a curried tomato lentil soup with spices common in Ethiopian cuisine—such as ginger, curry powder (or berbere, if you can find it), and fenugreek. Cook a pot and your kitchen will be filled with mouthwatering aromas for hours! Head on over to Forks Over Knives to get started.
Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup whose primary ingredients are cannellini beans, kale, Swiss chard, and stale bread. Hearty and flavorful, it’s the perfect evening meal during the cold winter months. Find out how to make it with this recipe from Cook with Grazia.
Three Guys from Miami are known for sharing their authentic recipes. This one for a Cuban country-style stew, ajiaco criollo, is loaded with fragrant spices and hearty ingredients, perfect after a long day of work.
If you’ve ever walked into a Chinese restaurant, you’ve heard of wonton soup. With this homemade, low sodium version from Damn Delicious, you’ll get to make the wontons from scratch—don’t worry, it’s surprisingly easy! Making this is sure to impress.
From Norway, lapskaus is a hearty stew sure to keep you warm. It calls for traditional stew ingredients like beef, carrots, and potatoes, and simmers slowly for over two hours, long enough to tenderize the meat to perfection (and attract neighbors to the gorgeous smell coming from your kitchen).